Ferry Station Post Office Building
Also known as: Agriculture Building
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Why it's listed
Located on the Embarcadero at the foot of Mission Street in San Francisco, this two-story steel-frame building was designed in 1914 as the Ferry Station Post Office and completed in 1915. A.A. Pyle of the State Department of Engineering was the designer, and Teichert and Ambrose began construction. Walls are red pressed brick laid in Flemish bond, set on a granite base with artificial stone trim and a copper cornice under a tile hip roof. A rear second-story addition followed in 1918. Until the Post Office moved to larger quarters in 1925, it was the central postal facility for the city, realizing a waterfront centralization plan first announced in 1896. The Southern Pacific and later the Department of Agriculture occupied it, and the marquees, galleries and most interior spaces were lost. Its Mediterranean style and fine detailing make it one of the best waterfront designs the State produced for the Harbor Commission.
Significance in brief: The building served as San Francisco's central postal facility from 1915 until 1925, fulfilling a long-planned idea of centralizing mail handling at the waterfront. It is also considered a fine example of early 20th century Mediterranean style government architecture, and one of the best such designs by the State for the Harbor Commission.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 78000756, listed December 1, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Embarcadero at Mission St., San Francisco |
|---|---|
| County | San Francisco |
| Listed | December 1, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78000756 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1915 |
| Architect / builder | A.A. Pyle, State Department of Engineering (designer); R.T. Alden (structural renderings); Teichert and Ambrose (construction) |
| Architectural style | Mediterranean Style |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Communications |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied; the form lists present use as agriculture and the interior has been cut up into offices, with only the central stair hall remaining from the original interior. |
| Acreage | 0.6 |
| Coordinates | 37.79403, -122.39207 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 78000756.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q38251704
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.